July 27, 1999
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
FINAL
Page B1
(Copyright 1999)

Dennis Tran was in no mood to wear a cap and gown to get his picture taken at Kindering Center 's graduation ceremonies in Bellevue yesterday.

"No," he roared as his mother and a teacher slipped the white billowing robe over his head. "No," he yelled as he flung the mortar board to the ground.

In seconds he had squirmed out of the ceremonial garb and tossed it as far as he could.

Before anyone could catch him, Dennis was gone. His mother, Dao Diet of Bellevue, sighed.

"He looked so cute, too. It would have made a very nice picture to treasure. But at least he expresses himself quite clearly now."

Dennis, 3, wasn't talking a year ago when his desperate, single mother enrolled him at the non-profit neurodevelopmental center that has been providing services for infants and children with special needs since 1962.

"His doctor said he was slow to speak and that he needed help," Diet said. "He told me to bring him here, and I'm so glad I did because he's done so well in such a short time.

"Now he talks all the time and is a lively, normal-behaving boy. This makes
me very, very happy with the school and everyone who helped him."

There were dozens of other equally delighted parents and grandparents at the Kindering Center 's annual ceremony, held at mid- morning in the park behind the facility at 16120 N.E. Eighth Ave. in Bellevue's Crossroads area.

Armed with cameras and smiles that outshined the bright sun, more than 100 family members, including older sisters and brothers, cheered as each class came forward to receive graduation certificates and bouquets of daisies.

Some of the 60 graduates, all 3-year-olds, refused to make the trip alone, either clinging to the hand of a parent or a less- bewildered sibling.

For some parents, the ceremony, reception and years at the center were over
too soon.

Peter McNiff, whose son, Sam, spent a year and a half at the center, doesn't believe his youngest child is ready to go into the Bellevue School District's special education program.

"It's a shame he has to leave," McNiff said. "He's done really well. When he came here, he couldn't even crawl and now he does."

Before Sam came to the Kindering Center , he was unable to do anything, his mother, Erica, said.

Now Sam, who is diagnosed with global developmental delays, is crawling. "His neurologist says that one day he may walk," she said with a grin.

"And all because of this wonderful school, its staff and teachers. In just three sessions a week, two hours each, they have brought him a very long way from where he was."

Kindering Center helps 1,000 children and their families each year with a nationally established curriculum designed to help children reach their maximum potential, Mimi Siegel, executive director, said.

"We also provide nurturing and hope to the families and build community understanding."

It's profoundly important to maximize a child's potential by starting early treatment, Siegel said.

"Research shows that early intervention in the lives of these children correlates with higher lifetime achievement, reduced need for special services later on and a happier, more fulfilling life overall," she said.

The Kindering Center 's individualized programs include physical and speech therapy, special education, family counseling, a nutrition and feeding team and parent support and training, Siegel said.

"We offer specialized foster care for children who are developmentally disabled, medically fragile or generally at risk because of abuse or neglect," she said. Premature birth also can affect a child's development. Kimberly Runge, who left North Dakota a year ago for Woodinville, is dealing with the results of her twins' birth two months early.

Jonathon weighed 4 pounds, 2 ounces, and Nathan weighed 3 pounds, 2 ounces, when they were born, their mother said.

The twins crawled late, walked late and didn't communicate until they came to the center, Runge said.

"I have nothing but good feelings about this place because somehow they were able to get in touch with the boys. Since then, they've blossomed."

Kindering Center has a 1999 budget of $1.9 million.

Forty percent of that comes from the state, 11 percent from United Way, 10 percent from contributions, 9 percent from Medicaid and 5 percent and 4 percent from federal and local governments.